scholarly journals Moth Mating: Modeling Female Pheromone Calling and Male Navigational Strategies to Optimize Reproductive Success

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (18) ◽  
pp. 6543
Author(s):  
Tracy L. Stepien ◽  
Cole Zmurchok ◽  
James B. Hengenius ◽  
Rocío Marilyn Caja Rivera ◽  
Maria R. D’Orsogna ◽  
...  

Male and female moths communicate in complex ways to search for and to select a mate. In a process termed calling, females emit small quantities of pheromones, generating plumes that spread in the environment. Males detect the plume through their antennae and navigate toward the female. The reproductive process is marked by female choice and male–male competition, since multiple males aim to reach the female but only the first can mate with her. This provides an opportunity for female selection on male traits such as chemosensitivity to pheromone molecules and mobility. We develop a mathematical framework to investigate the overall mating likelihood, the mean first arrival time, and the quality of the first male to reach the female for four experimentally observed female calling strategies unfolding over a typical one-week mating period. We present both analytical solutions of a simplified model as well as results from agent-based numerical simulations. Our findings suggest that, by adjusting call times and the amount of released pheromone, females can optimize the mating process. In particular, shorter calling times and lower pheromone titers at onset of the mating period that gradually increase over time allow females to aim for higher-quality males while still ensuring that mating occurs by the end of the mating period.

Genetics ◽  
1983 ◽  
Vol 105 (4) ◽  
pp. 1041-1059
Author(s):  
Takeo Maruyama ◽  
Paul A Fuerst

ABSTRACT The age of a mutant gene is studied using the infinite allele model in which every mutant is new and selectively neutral. Based on a time reversal theory of Markov processes, we develop a method of mathematical analysis that is considerably simpler for calculating the various statistics of the age than previous methods. Formulas for the mean and variance and for the distribution of age are presented together with some examples of relevance to cases in natural populations.—Theoretical studies of the first arrival time of an allele to a specified frequency, given an initially monomorphic condition of the locus, are presented. It is shown that, beginning with an allele that has frequency p = 1 or an allele with frequency p = 1/2N, there is an initial lag phase in which there is virtually no chance of an allele with a specified intermediate frequency appearing in the population. The distribution of the first arrival time is also presented. The distribution shows several characteristics that are not immediately obvious from a consideration of only the mean and variance of first arrival time. Especially noteworthy is the existence of a very long tail to the distribution. We have also studied the distribution of the age of an allele in the population. Again, the distribution of this measure is shown to be more informative for several questions than are the mean and variance alone.


Genetics ◽  
1973 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 199-212
Author(s):  
Motoo Kimura ◽  
Tomoko Ohta

ABSTRACT Formulae for the mean and the mean square age of a neutral allele which is segregating with frequency x in a population of effective size Ne have been obtained using the diffusion equation method, for the case of 4Nev<1 where v is the mutation rate. It has been shown that the average ages of neutral alleles, even if their frequencies are relatively low, are quite old. For example, a neutral mutant whose current frequency is 10% has the expected age roughly equal to the effective population size Ne and the standard deviation 1.4Ne (in generations), assuming that this mutant has increased by random drift from a very low frequency. Also, formulae for the mean "first arrival time" of a neutral mutant to a certain frequency x have been presented. In addition, a new, approximate method has been developed which enables us to obtain the condition under which frequencies of "rare" polymorphic alleles among local populations are expected to be uniform if the alleles are selectively neutral.—It was concluded that exchange of only a few individuals on the average between adjacent colonies per generation is enough to bring about such a uniformity of frequencies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 833-840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Li ◽  
Yue Wang ◽  
Hongbo Lin ◽  
Tie Zhong

2020 ◽  
Vol 99 (13) ◽  
pp. 1453-1460
Author(s):  
D. Qin ◽  
F. Hua ◽  
H. He ◽  
S. Liang ◽  
H. Worthington ◽  
...  

The objectives of this study were to assess the reporting quality and methodological quality of split-mouth trials (SMTs) published during the past 2 decades and to determine whether there has been an improvement in their quality over time. We searched the MEDLINE database via PubMed to identify SMTs published in 1998, 2008, and 2018. For each included SMT, we used the CONsolidated Standards Of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) 2010 guideline, CONSORT for within-person trial (WPT) extension, and a new 3-item checklist to assess its trial reporting quality (TRQ), WPT-specific reporting quality (WRQ), and SMT-specific methodological quality (SMQ), respectively. Multivariable generalized linear models were performed to analyze the quality of SMTs over time, adjusting for potential confounding factors. A total of 119 SMTs were included. The mean overall score for the TRQ (score range, 0 to 32), WRQ (0 to 15), and SMQ (0 to 3) was 15.77 (SD 4.51), 6.06 (2.06), and 1.12 (0.70), respectively. The primary outcome was clearly defined in only 28 SMTs (23.5%), and only 27 (22.7%) presented a replicable sample size calculation. Only 45 SMTs (37.8%) provided the rationale for using a split-mouth design. The correlation between body sites was reported in only 5 studies (4.2%) for sample size calculation and 4 studies (3.4%) for statistical results. Only 2 studies (1.7%) performed an appropriate sample size calculation, and 46 (38.7%) chose appropriate statistical methods, both accounting for the correlation among treatment groups and the clustering/multiplicity of measurements within an individual. Results of regression analyses suggested that the TRQ of SMTs improved significantly with time ( P < 0.001), while there was no evidence of improvement in WRQ or SMQ. Both the reporting quality and methodological quality of SMTs still have much room for improvement. Concerted efforts are needed to improve the execution and reporting of SMTs.


2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 327-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
J-E Tarride ◽  
DE Moulin ◽  
M Lynch ◽  
AJ Clark ◽  
L. Stitt ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: The management of chronic pain, including neuropathic pain (NeP), is a major public health issue. However, there is a paucity of data evaluating pain management strategies in real-life settings.OBJECTIVE: To inform policy makers about the economic value of managing chronic NeP in academic centres by conducting a subeconomic assessment of a Canadian multicentre cohort study aimed at determining the long-term outcomes of the management of chronic NeP in academic pain centres. Specific questions regarding the economic value of this type of program were answered by a subset of patients to provide further information to policy makers.METHODS: Baseline demographic information and several pain-related measurements were collected at baseline, three, six and 12 months in the main study. A resource use questionnaire aimed at determining NeP-related costs and the EuroQoL-5 Dimension were collected in the subset study from consenting patients. Statistical analyses were conducted to compare outcomes over time and according to responder status.RESULTS: A total of 298 patients were evaluated in the present economic evaluation. The mean (± SD) age of the participants was 53.7±14.0 years, and 56% were female. At intake, the mean duration of NeP was >5 years. Statistically significant improvements in all pain and health-related quality of life outcomes were observed between the baseline and one-year visits. Use decreased over time for many health care resources (eg, visits to the emergency room decreased by one-half), which resulted in overall cost savings.CONCLUSION: The results suggest that increased access to academic pain centres should be facilitated in Canada.


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